Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and related diseases are a major public health problem worldwide. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) encodes three enzymes which are required for viral replication: reverse transcriptase, protease, and integrase. Although drugs targeting reverse transcriptase and protease are in wide use and have shown effectiveness, particularly when employed in combination, toxicity and development of resistant strains have limited their usefulness (Palella, et al N Engl. J. Med. (1998) 338:853-860; Richman, D. D. Nature (2001) 410:995-1001).
Accordingly, there is a need for new agents that inhibit the replication of HIV. There is also a need for agents that are directed against alternate sites in the viral life cycle including agents that target the integrase enzyme. There is also a need for new agents with appropriate levels of metabolic stability.